Examination and Prevention

Dental X-rays

Why Take Xrays?

Dental x-rays or radiographs are very important. They allow the dentist to see things about your oral health that cannot be seen by the naked eye. These items include cysts (sacks of fluid that form on the roots of teeth), cancerous and non-cancerous tumours in the tissues surrounding the teeth, decay that occurs between teeth, and the location of teeth that haven't grown all the way in.

By using an x-ray to diagnose these problems, we can help save you money in the long run from surgery or other treatments that might become necessary if we didn't find the problem. In some cases, where dental x-rays show the location of tumerous growths, x-rays can be responsible for saving your life.

We use “small film” x-rays to look for decay in-between the teeth and sometimes to look at the root and bone structure surrounding one particular tooth . Your dentist may suggest an OPG or “full mouth” x-ray to look at all the teeth in the mouth and surrounding hard tissues. It is recommended to have an OPG x-ray taken every 5 to 10 years to look for for any undetected abnormalities present within the jaw bone.

Are Dental X-Rays Safe?

At St Albans Dental Centre we are now using digital x-rays. These use less than half the radiation used by conventional x-ray machines and as such are very safe. The amount of radiation you now receive taking a set of small film dental x-rays would be less than that you would receive from the sun on a flight from Christchurch to Auckland. A full mouth or OPG x-ray uses a little more radiation but it is also digital, and the dose is low when compared to the total background radiation you receive from the sun every day. If you compare that with risks to your health from undetected disease then it is negligible.